Listen to Sermon
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 15, 2017
The Christian faith promises peace. It is like no other peace. You will not find this kind of peace in all the universe. Even with all of its assets and natural resources, this world cannot give to you the peace that Jesus gives. The source of this peace is the Prince of Peace. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). We as a church family “exchange the peace” together. We welcome one another with the words, “The peace of the Lord.” We greet one another with God’s peace. The height of our service is when we receive the Body and Blood. We hear the pronouncement, “The peace of the Lord be with you always!” Our worship ends with “peace” in the benediction. “The Lord bless you and keep you…and give you peace.”We go out into the world as God’s peace-benefactors and his peace-makers. Our Scripture today from Paul’s letter to the Philippians says, “Do not worry about anything.” When we worry, we needlessly live our lives without peace. We deny ourselves true peace. Paul tells us, “Don’t do that.” “Don’t worry” challenges us to have the courage to pursue for peace in our lives. It challenges us to hold God to his word and boldly ask him for this peace. It challenges us to surrender our worry and illusion that we are in control.
But Paul does not just tell us what not to do. He tells us what to do: “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In other words, hand your anxiety and worry over to the One who can take it away. Surrender to the Prince of Peace. He lived and died to take away every threat to body and soul. He rose to give us the assurance we need and a hope that will not be disappointed. He takes away our anxieties and puts his peace in its place. When we turn to Jesus, we begin to count our blessings with the greatest blessing of all: Jesus. He is the sure antidote to strife, anxiety, and fear. And we should continue to count your blessings. Consider all the blessings you do have even if you feel like they are overshadowed by the bad. Our Scripture encourages us to approach “everything…with prayer and thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is prayer, an act of worship, and a work of God in us. He promises to lift our spirits into the reality of his Kingdom. He leads us through our dark valleys on a path of peace.
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| “As soon the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.” |
In each of your bulletins, you should have small paper insert. It has a picture of an indulgence on it—one that dates back more than 500 years. It has a catchy slogan: “As soon the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.” This is what made the German Reformer Martin Luther so mad. It’s why he wrote the 95 Theses and nailed them to the church door in Wittenberg almost 500 years ago…we are just weeks away. It is a lie and a false hope to think that money can buy God’s forgiveness. Instead, Luther challenges us to find our true treasure. And that greatest treasure is the Gospel—the Person and work of Jesus Christ. What a great place to start—to be thankful for the rich forgiveness and eternal life we have in Jesus—for free!
We ask you to prayerfully write down what you are thankful for…just as Paul says, “…with prayer and thanksgiving.” What do you thank God for? How has he already blessed you? Please let us know. We will collect them during the offering. God uses our prayer with thanksgiving. Giving thanks to God for the things that come to mind will help us along this path toward peace. And as his peace comes, it does not depend on our understanding. That is what our Scripture promises: “With prayer and thanksgiving…the peace of God which surpasses understanding—peace that transcends comprehension—will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Our brains’ circuitry cannot fully process how wonderful God’s peace is. We will never fully comprehend the height, depth, and width of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. God’s power does not need our understanding to work in our lives.
In a few minutes from now we will receive Holy Communion—what we sometimes call the Eucharist. It is based on the New Testament word eucharisteo. The eu means good and charis means grace. In this Meal, we experience the good grace of God. Like Spanish and other Romance languages, thanksgiving is based on the word grace. We give thanks. Some of us still refer to praying at the dinner table as saying “Grace.” It is living life mindful of the grace of God with hearts filled with gratitude. It is prayerful recognition of God’s loving work in our lives. We gather around a Table this morning around the grace-filled Bread and Wine and Body and Blood of our Lord. We are mindful of God’s blessings particularly the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. We surrender all our worries and anxieties to God at this Altar. We lift up our prayers with thanksgiving. And God gives us his peace—his mysterious, fathomless, inconceivable peace.
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